[Le morte darthur]

¶Capitulum lj

NOw torne we vnto Kynge Marke that whan he was escaped from sir Sadok / he rode vnto the Cas••el of Tyn¦tagyl / and there he made grete crye and noyse / & cry∣ed vnto harneis alle that myghte bere armes / Thenne they so∣ught and fond where were dede four cosyns of kyng Markes and the traytour of Magouns / Thenne the kynge lete entyere them in a chappel / thenne the kynge lete crye in alle the coun∣trey that helde of hym to goo vnto armes / for he vnderstood to the werre he must nedes / Whanne Kynge Marke herde and vnderstood how syre Sadok and sir Dynas were arysen in the Countrey of Lyones / he remembryd of wyles and treason / Lo thus he dyd / he lete make and counterfete letters from the pope

and dyd make a straung clerke to bere them vnto kyng ma∣rk / the whiche letters specyfyed that kynge Marke shold ma¦ke hym redy vpon payne of cursyng with his hoost to come to the pope to helpe to goo to Iherusalem for to make warre vp¦on the Sarasyns / whan this clerk was come by the meane of the Kynge / anone with alle kyng marke sente these letters vn¦to sire Tristram and badde hym saye thus / that and he wold goo werre vpon the mescreauntes / he shold be had oute of pry¦son / and to haue alle his power / whanne sire Tristram vnder∣stood this letter / thenne he sayd thus to the Clerke / A kynge Marke euer hast thou ben a traytour / and euer wylle be / but Clerke said sire Tristram Say thou thus vnto Kynge marke Syn the Appostle pope hath sente for hym / bydde hym goo thy∣der hym self / for telle hym traitour Kynge as he / is I wylle not goo at his commaūdement / gete I oute of pryson as I may for I see I am wel rewarded for my true seruyse / Thenne the Clerke retorned vnto kynge Marke and told hym of the ansuer of sire Tristram / wel sayd Kynge marke yet shal he be begyled / Soo he wente in to his chamber and counterfete let¦ters / and the letters specyfyed that the pope desyred sire Tri∣stram to come hym self to made werre vpon the mescreauntes whan the Clerke was come ageyne to sir Tristram and tooke hym these letters / thenne sire Tristram behelde these letters / & anone he aspyed they were of kynge Markes counterfetynge A said syre Tristram fals hast thow ben euer kynge Marke / and soo wolt thou ende / Thenne the Clerke departed from sire Tristram and came to kynge Marke ageyne / By thenne there were come four wounded knyghtes within the castel of Tyn∣tagil / and one of them his neck was nyghe broken in tweyn Another had his arme stryken awey / the thyrdde was borne thurgh with a spere / the fourth had his t••eth stryken in tweyn And whanne they came afore kynge Marke they cryed and sayd / kynge / why fleest thow not for alle this countrey is a∣rysen clerely ageynst the / thenne was kynge Marke wrothe oute of mesure / and in the meane whyle there came in to the countrey sire Percyuale de galys to seke sire Tristram / And whan he herd that syre Tristram was in pryson / syr Percyual

made clerely the delyueraunce of sir Tristram by his knyghtly meanes / And whan he was soo delyuerd / he made grete Ioye of syre Percyuale / and soo echone of other / Syr Tristram sa∣yd vnto sire Percyuale / and ye wille abyde in these marches I wylle ryde with yow / Nay said Percyuale in this countrey I maye not tary / for I muste nedes in to walys / ¶Soo syre Percyuale departed from sire Tristram / and rode streyghte vn¦to Kynge Marke / and told hym how he had delyuerd syre Tristram / and also he told the kyng that he had done hym self grete shame for to putte sir Tristram in pryson / For he is now the knyght of moost renomme in this world lyuynge

And wete thow wel the noblest knyghtes of the worlde loue syr Tristram / and yf he wille make werre vpon yow / ye maye not abyde hit / That is trouthe said kynge Marke / but I may not loue sire Tristram by cause he loueth my Quene and my wyf la beale Isoud / A fy for shame said syr Percyuole say ye neuer so more / Are ye not vnkel vnto sir Tristram / and he your neuewe / ye shold neuer thynke that soo noble a Knyghte as sire Tristram is that he wold doo hym self soo grete a vy∣lony to holde his vnkels wyf / how be it said syr Percyuale he may loue your Quene synles by cause she is called one of the fayrest ladyes of the world / Thenne syr Percyuale departed from Kynge Marke / Soo whan he was departed Kyng Mark bethought hym of more treson / Not withstādyng kyng mark graunted syre Percyuale neuer by no manere of meanes to hurte sire Tristram / Soo anone Kynge Marke sente vnto syre Dynas the Seneschal that he shold putte doune alle the peple that he had reysed / for he sente hym an othe that he wold goo hym self vnto the pope of Rome to warre vpon the mescreaun∣tes / and this is a fayrer werre than thus to areyse the peple / ageynst youre kynge / whanne sir Dynas vnderstood that ky∣nge marke wold goo vpon the mescreauntes / thenne sire Dy∣nas in alle the hast putte doune alle the peple / and whan the peple were departed euery man to his home / thēne Kyng mark aspyed where was sire Tristram with la Beale Isoud / and there by treason Kynge Marke lete take hym and put hym in pryson contrary to his promyse that he made vnto syre Percy∣uale / whan Quene Isoud vnderstood that syr Tristram was

in pryson / she made as grete sorowe as euer made lady or gen∣tylwoman / Thenne sire Tristram sent a letter vnto la Beale Isoud and praid her to be his good lady / and yf hit pleased her to make a vessel redy for her and hym / he wold goo with her vnto the reame of Logrys that is this land / ¶whanne la beale Isoud vnderstood syre Tristrams letters and his entent she sente hym another / and badde hym be of good comforte / for she wold doo make the vessel redy and alle thynge to purpos ¶Thenne la beale Isoud sente vnto syre Dynas and to sadok and prayd hem in ony wyse to take Kynge Marke / and put hym in pryson vnto the tyme that she and syre Tristram were departed vnto the Royamme of Logrys / whan sir Dynas the Seneschall vnderstood the treason of Kynge Marke / he promy¦sed her ageyne and sente her word that Kynge Marke shold be put in pryson / And as they deuysed hit soo it was done / And thenne syre Tristram was delyuerd oute of pryson / and anone in alle the haste Quene Isoud and syr Tristram went and took their counceyll with that they wold haue with them whan they departed